Labor Days Past
Happy Labor Day everyone! Don's working and I slept in pretty late, so our holiday is half over without much fun to show for it. Maybe I'll go swimming later. We'll see...
Once upon a time, my Labor Day was always a big family trip to Zion National Park. My parents usually took us out of school on Friday which was great since it was usually the end of the first week. I always hated the first week of school. My grandparents usually had been at the park for a few days before any of us got there, so we didn't have to worry about finding a good site. But, back then Zion wasn't as crowded and had a lot less rules and regs. All my aunts, uncles and cousins would converge on the park sometime on Friday or Saturday. We spent countless hours playing and tubing down the Virgin River. That was the best! It was always pretty cold, but we didn't care. I've heard that they don't even allow people in the river anymore. That sucks! We'd usually hike the Narrows or the Emerald Pools together. Both were fun, because the hike would make you so hot and there was a refreshing river or lake that awaited you. I don't think that we were supposed to swim in the Emarald Pools, but we did anyway. We painted rocks, played with bubbles, played badmitton, hit pinatas. It was so fun!
Our Labor Day trips to Zion are the true origin of my festival birthday. My aunt would bring a birthday cake for me from Salt Lake, and I'd get all my family cards and presents then. It made waiting a week for more celebration well worth it. Of course, our family got older and busier and the Labor Day tradition faded away. Zion changed too. It is no longer the fun place that we rode bikes around and explored for hours on end. The area has gotten so commercialized. It's really sad that a huge Imax theater competes with the natural beauty of the area. Even worse, the increased patronage of "serious" hikers and campers combined with the Gestapo park rangers has made Zion a place that just isn't that much fun anymore. It really saddens me, because I have such fond memories of all of our Zion trips. It will always be a beautiful natural wonder, but I'd rather go to Lee Canyon or check out Panguitch so we can have fun that includes campfires and sing alongs that don't have to end at 10:00pm.
There had been talk of resurrecting our Zion family tradition this year, but with cousins leaving for boot camp and all sorts of rifts in the family it obviously didn't happen. I haven't had a bad weekend. It has been nice, but uneventful compared to the Zion trips of old. I always looked forward to that trip. Now, I hardly see my family at all. I guess it will just be weddings and funerals from now on. I suppose that's what happens to extended families. I'd like to start some family events like our Zion trip. The Fourth of July is a great new tradition, but it's not really a true family event. We don't have many traditions right now. Maybe it's time to start some of our own.
Once upon a time, my Labor Day was always a big family trip to Zion National Park. My parents usually took us out of school on Friday which was great since it was usually the end of the first week. I always hated the first week of school. My grandparents usually had been at the park for a few days before any of us got there, so we didn't have to worry about finding a good site. But, back then Zion wasn't as crowded and had a lot less rules and regs. All my aunts, uncles and cousins would converge on the park sometime on Friday or Saturday. We spent countless hours playing and tubing down the Virgin River. That was the best! It was always pretty cold, but we didn't care. I've heard that they don't even allow people in the river anymore. That sucks! We'd usually hike the Narrows or the Emerald Pools together. Both were fun, because the hike would make you so hot and there was a refreshing river or lake that awaited you. I don't think that we were supposed to swim in the Emarald Pools, but we did anyway. We painted rocks, played with bubbles, played badmitton, hit pinatas. It was so fun!
Our Labor Day trips to Zion are the true origin of my festival birthday. My aunt would bring a birthday cake for me from Salt Lake, and I'd get all my family cards and presents then. It made waiting a week for more celebration well worth it. Of course, our family got older and busier and the Labor Day tradition faded away. Zion changed too. It is no longer the fun place that we rode bikes around and explored for hours on end. The area has gotten so commercialized. It's really sad that a huge Imax theater competes with the natural beauty of the area. Even worse, the increased patronage of "serious" hikers and campers combined with the Gestapo park rangers has made Zion a place that just isn't that much fun anymore. It really saddens me, because I have such fond memories of all of our Zion trips. It will always be a beautiful natural wonder, but I'd rather go to Lee Canyon or check out Panguitch so we can have fun that includes campfires and sing alongs that don't have to end at 10:00pm.
There had been talk of resurrecting our Zion family tradition this year, but with cousins leaving for boot camp and all sorts of rifts in the family it obviously didn't happen. I haven't had a bad weekend. It has been nice, but uneventful compared to the Zion trips of old. I always looked forward to that trip. Now, I hardly see my family at all. I guess it will just be weddings and funerals from now on. I suppose that's what happens to extended families. I'd like to start some family events like our Zion trip. The Fourth of July is a great new tradition, but it's not really a true family event. We don't have many traditions right now. Maybe it's time to start some of our own.
posted by Unknown at 12:40 PM
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